Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Health Reporter
PATIENTS suffering from hernias, lipomas, hydroceles, and other minor surgical conditions are set to receive free operations during a surgical outreach camp at Nyanga District Hospital later this month.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Child Care in partnership with the Surgical Society of Zimbabwe, aims to improve access to essential surgical care for underserved rural communities.
Nyanga District Medical Officer, Dr Majoni John Muungani said the free surgical camp is expected to significantly reduce the burden on local health services.
The camp will provide a rare opportunity for rural patients to receive expert medical care without the usual financial strain or long waiting periods.
He said the surgeries, though considered routine in urban health centres, are often out of reach for rural patients due to cost, distance, and shortage of specialist doctors.
The surgical camp was made possible through engagements with the Surgical Society of Zimbabwe, which will be hosting its annual conference in Troutbeck, Nyanga, this year, and is a step towards ensuring that rural citizens are not forgotten as the country works towards Vision 2030, which envisions an empowered and prosperous upper-middle-income society where every citizen has access to quality healthcare.
“As part of their corporate social responsibility, the society decided to extend outreach services to the rural communities surrounding their conference venue. As a district, we saw this as an opportunity to offer surgical care to those who cannot afford to have these procedures done. The camp aims to offer surgical care to those who cannot afford to have the procedures done and also consultations will be done by the specialists for those who do not need surgical intervention,” said Dr Muungani.
The outreach comes at a crucial time for Nyanga District, where most residents live in remote rural communities with limited access to specialist care.
“We are targeting mainly hernia repairs for both adults and children, hydrocelectomy, lipoma excision, and release of contractures. These are common conditions here, and most have been left unattended for years,” he said.
Dr Muungani said screening for potential surgical patients is already underway at Nyanga District Hospital, Elim Mission Hospital and Regina Coeli Mission Hospital.
Medical doctors at the three centres are confirming diagnoses and booking patients ahead of the camp.
Bookings are expected to close today (Friday).
Dr Muungani urged people from across Manicaland who feel that they may be suffering from the given conditions, to come through for screening.
Although the camp will span three days, surgeries will be performed over two of those days.
Dr Muungani also stressed that while there is no strict numerical target, as all patients who get booked in time will be attended to.
He said to ensure that no one and no place is left behind, information about the camp has been widely disseminated across the district, with village health workers having been tasked with spreading the word directly to households.
Although the surgical camp was inspired by the coincidence of the annual surgical conference being held in Nyanga, Dr Muungani said there are hopes to continue such outreach efforts in the future.
“We would like to continue as long as we have funding.
We are keen to explore further engagements with the surgeons and see how we can make such initiatives a regular part of our district’s health calendar. Many people live with conditions that can be treated, but due to the costs or distance to urban centres, they end up suffering in silence,” he said.
Dr Muungani also confirmed that while the programme is primarily focused on the Nyanga community, the camp is open to patients from outside the district as well.
